The fancy man, realizing that he was outmatched and not wanting to risk any further trouble, left in a huff. After he was gone, the man turned his attention to me and introduced himself.
He stepped closer, a sly smile on his face, and said, "I'm Park Chanyeol. And you're welcome."
Chanyeol tilted his head slightly to the side, his eyes studying me with intense scrutiny. He then let out a small chuckle and said, "Hey, you look familiar..."
I froze when I heard Chanyeol's words, my stomach churning with anxiety. I quickly looked up and replied, hoping that I could lie well enough, "I'm sorry, I think we haven't met before..." I tried to keep my voice steady, but it trembled slightly with nervousness.
As Chanyeol and I were talking, the manager suddenly appeared beside us. He recognized Chanyeol immediately and extended his hand in greeting, a smile on his face as he said, "Oh sir Park Chanyeol, welcome to the crimson Moonlight bar."
Chanyeol turned his attention to the manager and shook his hand, his demeanor polite and friendly. He returned the greeting with a slight nod of his head, clearly familiar with the manager and the establishment.
Chanyeol nodded, his gaze wandering around the bar as he replied, "Actually, I got here last night. It's pretty cool being here..."
The manager chuckled in agreement, then gestured towards me, introducing me to Chanyeol. "This is our new bartender, Kim Jumnyeon," the manager said, "He's a college student."
I dipped my head in a slight bow, but before I could say anything, Chanyeol interjected, a hint of amusement in his voice. "No need to bow..."
I straightened up after the brief introduction and went back to work behind the counter, aware of Chanyeob's gaze on me. I tried to focus on my tasks, but the sensation of being watched was making it difficult to concentrate. I could feel Chanyeol's eyes on me as I prepared drinks and served customers, my heart racing with a mixture of anxiety and confusion.
I sighed as I was getting ready to leave after another long day of work. Just as I was about to head out, I was stopped by a group of people who immediately recognized me as the son of Kim Taehyun. They fixed their cold, sharp gazes on mine and demanded, "Hey kid, we know you're Kim Taehyun's son. Now where's the money, the 20 million?"
I took a step back, my heart racing with anxiety. I tried to explain, "I'm still working on it. I promise I'll pay it back once I earned—"
I flailed wildly, but two men had grabbed hold of my arms, restraining me and preventing me from defending myself. Panic and fear filled me as the third men approached, fist raised and ready to strike. Before I could react, the man delivered a powerful punch to my stomach, causing me to cry out in pain as the air was forcefully expelled from my lungs.
My instincts kicked in as I refused to give up. I twisted my arms in the grip of the men holding me, managing to break free and knocking them to the side. Before they could recover, I quickly turned to face the man who had been beating me. Without hesitation, I aimed a hard kick squarely into the man's groin, causing him to let out a strangled gasp and crumple to the ground in pain.
With adrenaline pumping through my veins, I ran as fast as I could, desperate to put some distance between myself and my attackers. In the midst of my escape, I accidentally stumbled into a dark alley, the shadows of the evening beginning to creep across the space. Fearful and out of breath, I decided to pause for a moment to catch my breath and think about what to do next.
Just as I was catching my breath and trying to calm my racing heart, a voice suddenly spoke up from behind me. Chanyeol's tone was cool and nonchalant, the sound of him lighting a cigarette sending a small flicker of illumination in the dark alley. "Kim Jumnyeon," he said. "You owe them 20 million."
My eyes widened in surprise, and I turned around to see Chanyeol standing a few feet away, puffing on a cigarette as he watched me with a steady gaze.
My voice trembled slightly as I responded, "It's not my debt. It was my father's debt. He left all of that on me."
I felt a pang of resentment as I spoke, knowing the burden of my father's careless spending and reckless behavior had now fallen on my shoulders. The weight of the debt and the responsibility felt like a heavy burden, one that I never wanted to bear but was now forced to carry.
Chanyeol let out a short, scoffing laugh, his gaze fixated on me. "I don't care," he replied, taking another drag on his cigarette. "Here's the deal: I'll help you with your problems, including paying off your debt. But in return, you have to help me with mine."
My heart skipped a beat at the demand, my mind racing as I tried to process the implications. "How am I supposed to help you?" I asked cautiously.
Chanyeol's response was a smirk as he stepped closer, his eyes raking over my body before he spoke. "With your body of course," he said, the words spoken casually and without hesitation. He crushed the remnants of the cigarette under his foot, leaving a small circle of ash on the concrete.
TO BE CONTINUED...